ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2005)

Just in time for the 2006 games in Italy comes this lively, heavily illustrated survey of the Winter Olympics, by the author of Higher, Faster, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics (2004). Following an introductory section covering the events that led up to the first winter game are chapters centering on the inevitable battles with weather, dramatic sports legends and scandals, and the inclusion of snowboarding and other dangerous, extreme events in the competition. A final section offers brief summaries of each Winter Olympics, starting with the 1908 and 1920 winter games. Macy's easy, anecdotal style is both substantive and captivating. There is plenty of information to support reports here, but the fascinating details and the open layouts, filled with color images of athletes through the century, will pull in browsers gearing up for the games. Source information and suggested resources close this timely, handsome offering, which will attract both reluctant and strong readers long past the games' close.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

This is an equally compelling companion to Swifter, Higher, Stronger, Macy's photo-history of the summer games. The accessible text recounts dramatic highs and scandalous lows of the international competition and highlights the major players--both on stage and off. Accompanied by well-placed colorful photos, this well-designed book captures the spirit and substance of the event. Reading list, websites. Ind.

School Library Journal

Gr 4 Up-This book on the games and the past participants and their performances from the beginning at Chamonix, France in 1924 to the present has spectacular photographs and clear, captivating prose. It presents a carefully researched history along with the triumphs and tragedies of the participants and can be enjoyed for the photographs (small action shots to full spreads), the stories of individual accomplishments, or the snapshot highlights of each of the games. The vivid color and black-and-white illustrations depict the joy and intensity of the athletes. A map showing the location of the games, charts of facts about winners, and an annotated bibliography of book and Web sites support the information. A foreword by Peggy Fleming and a detailed index add to the appeal and usefulness of the book.-Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

With the excitement of the Winter Olympics fresh in readers' minds, this timely book will answer any questions piqued by the Games. Supported by the exceptional photography that one has come to expect from this publisher and with an inspiring foreword by Peggy Fleming, the book takes the reader through the history of the Olympic Games. It includes the heroes and superstars, the conflicts between athletes, the weather problems that plagued many of the venues, and the sports themselves, from figure skating to snowboarding and everything in between. Fantastic black-and-white photos of eleven-year-old Sonja Henie competing in her first Olympics to the vivid color shots of Apolo Anton Ohno leading the pack at the men's 1,000 meter short track speedskating illustrate the scope of this work. A most informative section called Olympic Almanac is located at the end of the book. It gives a thumbnail account of the highlights of the Olympic Games starting in 1908 through 2010. Chock full of information and brilliant photographs, this book certainly deserves a gold medal.-Kathie Fitch.